September 27, 2005

• 'selling Jesus'...

  "The atheist who's selling Jesus"

  http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0%2C5744%2C16654819%25255E28737%2C00.html

  Incredible article, go read it for yourself.  Here are some quotes:

  1. "Jesus is played not as the son of God but a tough-talking no-nonsense philosopher who makes life easier and, incidentally, eternal."

  2. "The problem we detected from our research was that a lot of Australians see Christianity as being for losers."

  3. "Surely it's a stretch to separate the son of God from religion? "Jesus wasn't about religion, when you read him," Kinnaird insists. "I'm a self-confessed atheist brought up in a religious school. Rereading the Bible, Jesus is quoted as making the explicit point that people who consider themselves pious but don't behave in a way that's consistent with piety are the least worthy." And often the ritual and trappings of the church just get in the way of the message, he says.
  "It's interesting, isn't it? When you strip away the superficial and get to the core essence of what a brand's all about - I mean, that's what you find in the church - [it's] a relatively small body of ideas." "

  4. "Despite the problems, the social climate may be moving in the church's favour and the time is ripe for trying to reclaim some of the spirituality market."

   

  Wow.

   

  Responses:
  1. This teaching is a lot easier to sell than "Jesus, Son of God".  And of course, He was indeed tough-talking and no-nonsense.  But...

  2. Precisely... though the definition of "losers" is problematic... does it mean, "people who cannot have fun," or "people who see themselves as hopelessly lost sinners in the hands of an angry Creator?"  Those categories are NOT mutually exclusive, thanks to God's grace...

  3. Besides the fact that the church is NOT a "brand" <choke gag cough>, it only makes sense to strip away all non-essential "rituals" and "trappings" and "superficial" paraphernalia.  Like a newlywed couple would dispense with the tablecloths and wall-decorations from their wedding and reception.  But would they ever throw away their wedding rings? (communion)  Would they dispense with their wedding vows? (baptism)

  4. I think this highly educated atheist is correct in this assessment, in the following way: the entire "Western" world (including Australia... ha ha) is in the process of an enormous worldview shift from modernism to postmodernism: from "science" to "spirituality".  It is coming back into vogue to be "spiritual" or "agnostic," going out of vogue to be "rabidly atheist," and becoming mandatory to be "tolerant."

  But it is just as hateful as ever to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

  John 15, 1 John 3 -
  "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."

  As the world transitions from naturalism to supernaturalism, I think we will see a new Dark Ages, complete with full, high-visibility demonic activity and spiritual warfare, even in (and perhaps especially in) "the West."  (Interesting thought by RvL here)  Our enemy will not tolerate the possibility of a worldwide revival and turning-to-God after the spiritual thirst of the last 300 years of rationalism and materialism - instead, he will powerfully swing the worldview-pendulum hard the other way.

  But our God, the Creator of the universe, will even more powerfully continue rescuing souls from destruction, and will soon even more powerfully make an utterly complete and astonishingly final end to our enemy's dominion.

  In the meantime, our plan of action should be to memorize the Bible (because it will soon be taken from us by persecution), witness and plant gospel seeds whenever possible (looking to the future), invest our lives in mentoring the next generation of christians (because the world they will inherit will be so much more indescribably wicked than ours - 2 Tim. 3, Matt. 24:37), examine our doctrine extremely carefully (because false teachers will increase exponentially - Matt. 24:24), and most importantly, cultivate a deep, obedient, and trusting relationship with God Himself (nothing else will last - 1 Pet. 1:7).

  "Behold, I am coming quickly."  -- Jesus Christ

  • 8:26 pm
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